Former Aiea coordinator Amosa returns to Campbell as head football coach

He was a stellar two-sport athlete back in the day at Campbell, but it was life after high school that turned Amosa Amosa into a formidable coach.

The former University of Hawaii offensive lineman spent several years learning the nuances of the run-and-shoot offense. Under the tutelage of Dan Morrison and Ron Lee, Amosa soaked up knowledge. At Aiea, his mentoring helped create some of the Oahu Interscholastic Association's most prolific passing attacks.

But after nine years as offensive coordinator at Aiea, Amosa was ready to return to his alma mater. Campbell hired the teacher as head football coach last week, which means this semester could be his last at Aiea.

"It's hard because Wendell (Say) and Aiea have been very good to me and my family. That's why it's hard to leave. I've grown a lot and learned a lot of things. I've grown to love the community," said Amosa, who teaches special education math.

"Having the opportunity to go back to Campbell, it's very exciting. I thought maybe later on in life, I'd get a chance to become a head coach, but this is a dream come true," he said.

This will be his second coaching stint with the Sabers. A decade ago, he was the offensive coordinator under Darren Hernandez. The run-and-shoot took Campbell to the OIA final then, and Amosa believes the system will thrive again. The Sabers used a Wing T during Tumoana Kenessey's era that just came to a close.

"With the talent they have, it doesn't matter what system you run. You're going to have a lot of athletes. The population is so large. The athletes are going to do wonders with the ball," Amosa said. "Those running backs will play slot. The (Samson) Anguay kid is very exciting. In the (summer) pass league, they always do well."

Defensive coordinator Viavia Manuma, a longtime friend of Amosa's, is the lone holdover from Kenessey's staff.

"We went to church together, sang in choir together and he really got me interested in football and lifting weights," Amosa recalled. "So we'll run the same base formation on defense. There won't be much change."

Amosa, who was also a basketball standout at Campbell and coached the sport at Aiea, is looking forward to staying right in the neighborhood soon enough.

"Tumoana has done a wonderful job," he said. "I just want to keep the level of competitiveness. That's where I live and my kids go to school, so it's an opportunity to give back to the community what they've given to me."

The program, along with Radford and Aiea, will drop to the Division II White Conference for the next two seasons.